North America
Totem Poles of the First Nations in Vancouver Canada. Photo: Tonya Fitzpatrick
“Through travel I first became aware of the outside world; it was through travel that I found my own introspective way into becoming a part of it.”
– Eudora Welty
Explore the history, diverse cultures and traditions of the North American countries of Canada, Mexico and the United States. North American culture reflects both the cultures of its indigenous people- the Native Americans as well as the culture that is influenced by European Colonization.
The United States is the third largest country in the world and one of the most culturally diverse countries of the world. Described as the ‘melting pot‘ of North America , amalgamation of different cultures has given shape to the unique U.S. culture.
Mexico is the most populous state of North America and one of the largest city in the world.
Canada is the largest country of North American region and covering more than half of the continent’s area.
Breckenridge, Colorado, best known for its world-famous ski resort, had a plastics problem. Every year visitors flock to this charming historic mining town to enjoy schussing and sledding down the slopes. What do they leave behind? Sleds.
Every summer as a child, my father and the other farmers in our small Clarksville, Tennessee community would take their turn as pitmaster.
On March 30, 1942, armed soldiers with rifles and bayonets marched 276 men, women, and children of Japanese descent aboard a ship to be sent to exclusion camps. Most of them were American citizens. This didn’t happen in Japan or some foreign country. It happened on Bainbridge Island, Washington.
The battle of Franklin was a turning point in the Civil War. Most historians agree it was the beginning of the end for the Confederacy.
It’s a sunny summer morning at Buffalo Park in Flagstaff, Arizona. The San Francisco Peaks, Arizona’s top ski destination, rises into the sky to the north, the tip of Mount Humphreys sharp against the clear blue expanse.
Bedford Peak can be reached via a 12 km (7 miles) roundtrip hike and is located at an elevation of 1161 meters (3800 feet), offering an outstanding 360° view over the surrounding mountain range as well as the adjacent valleys. On days with good visibility, Lake Matthews can even be seen from there. I had a feeling this would be good, gratefully grabbed my purchase, and headed out.
Visiting the beautiful Red Rock Canyon, an often-overlooked national conservation area that is located only 15 miles outside Las Vegas and features hiking and trails, plants and wildlife, outstanding geology and camping.
Birmingham, Alabama is considered ground zero in the civil rights movement. In the 1950s, African-Americans of all ages in Birmingham drew a proverbial line in the sand against racial segregation. Their stories, struggles and ultimate success over Jim Crow laws is on display at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute in an effort to keep the stories of this dark chapter in American history alive. Across the street from the Institute is the 16th Street Baptist Church where a 1963 bombing that killed four young girls changed the course of history in Birmingham and America. We will walk through this church that has, today, become a place to unify a community and people from all over the world. 16th Street Baptist Church. Photo: Tonya Fitzpatrick Downtown Birmingham is the home to the Civil Rights Heritage Trail. Kelly Ingraham Park, also known as Freedom Park, was the staging area for many of [...]
The Holocaust Museum in Richmond, Virginia is a dramatic retelling of the events that occurred, focusing heavily on the experiences of the city’s Holocaust survivors.
The route between Los Angeles and Las Vegas may be a heavily traveled highway, but it’s still a long strip of road through the desert of the American Southwest.
I recently spent five months hiking from Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail. It was an incredible backpacking trip through stunning deserts, mountains, and forests but also a journey of self-discovery. At the same time, my trips were now motivated by self-growth rather than deficiency.
The city of Houston, Texas is currently the fourth largest city in the United States. It serves as a twenty-first century melting pot, welcoming a myriad of cultures, communities, and ethnicities.
